Bryant: Nominee qualified by anti-abortion work

JACKSON — Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant says Thursday that anti-abortion activist Terri Herring should be confirmed to the state Board of Health because she has “committed her life to women’s health care and the right to life.”

Republican Bryant nominated Herring to the 11-member board, but it’s unclear whether a majority of the 52 senators will support her nomination.

Herring, of Ridgeland, has lobbied for stricter abortion laws in Mississippi since the mid-1980s.

Hers is one of several nominations awaiting consideration in Senate committees in the next week. If confirmed, Herring would serve a six-year term, starting July 1.

State law says the 11-member Board of Health must be made up of five currently licensed physicians and six people with a background or interest in public health.